Epocdigest V1 # 392

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Epoc Digest Wed, 03 Dec 2003 Volume 01 : Number 392

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Sent to: 788 subscribers

In today's Epoc Digest 12 messages:

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- Digest sticking to Psion subjects

- Re: VetoMail (confirm please)

- Re: New Psion app zExe

- Re: Epoc Digest V1 # 391 (15)

- Re: Vetomail

- Subject: Palm and the like, no more trusty Psion 5MX, (Epoc Digest V1 # 390)

- Subject: Re: Revo Fax and Logfiles

- Psiwin freezing on backup, Full circle / combo, Mapopolis,

- Re: Program list

- Psions for Sale?

- Re: New Psion app zExe

- Re: nB Pro OS 7

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Date: 1 Dec 2003 21:21:31 +0100

From: Walker, Jan

Subject: Digest sticking to Psion subjects

I, for one, prefer to keep to the topic of Psions; with one exception. If someone can give a detailed comparison to some other potential (keyboard only) replacement device. I don't want to consider Palm devices although the Sony NX 50 clamshell device is a lovely temptation.

Jan in SanFranBayArea

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Date: 1 Dec 2003 23:02:50 +0100

From: Alan Morris

Subject: Re: VetoMail (confirm please)

Hugh Dibley wrote:-

> I am controlling the email that is sent to my inbox.

No, you are wasting time and doubling the amount of junk mail passing through the system

> By asking for you to confirm that you really sent email to me I

> can ensure that I receive no spam and that your email address

> really exists.

But when a virus appears to come from me (it can't as I use a Psion) because my address is in someone's address book - you get the virus.

> You are receiving this message in response to your email to

&a VetoMail customer.

REM: don't send any replies to this address.

BTW, does it work with Psion Opera & Web?

Ala

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Date: 1 Dec 2003 23:02:58 +0100

From: Alan Morris

Subject: Re: New Psion app zExe

vlad a wrote:-

>> Great new Psion app!

> I don't understand: compressed files open as fast as

> uncompressed or faster with no problems... can anyone try an

> explanation that's not all too technical?

To load a file takes a certain amount of time, lets say 10 seconds (for easy math). If it's compressed to half it's size, it will only take 5 seconds to load.

Then a fast (in comparison) processor will uncompress that file in say 3 seconds. So 5 + 3 is less than 10. The cleaver bit is getting a very fast algorithm to uncompress.

Alan R Morris, G4ENS.

Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, UK.

Using a Psion netBook & Nokia 6210e.

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Date: 1 Dec 2003 23:52:54 +0100

From: Chris Arden

Subject: Re: Epoc Digest V1 # 391 (15)

Discussion of Non-Psion Machines

My comment on this is that most of us (unfortunately) are having to think what machine we'll be migrating too and it's very interesting to hear from users who have experience of the Psions and their applications we know i.e. discussions of aspects of the WinCE / Palm platforms from an angle that lists dedicated to those environments wouldn't cover.

Since the overall size of the daily digests seems fairly stable I don't think this is a problem: i.e. we're not really getting flooded by off-topic posts!

Of course I keep hoping that Nokia/Ericsson/Someone will finally come out with a keyboard machine like the one that Psion / Motorola nearly came out with, updated for Bluetooth etc .... I just find it amazing that no manufacturer seems to believe there's a market for a modern small form factor machine with a "real" (e.g. 5mx type) keyboard anymore, except perhaps Sony but that's without phone integration and without the instant-on that's so great with Psions :-(

Chris,

Paris, France

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Date: 2 Dec 2003 15:32:30 +0100

From: Owen H. Morgan

Subject: Re: Vetomail

Howdy!

Hugh Dibley wrote (> ):

<SNIP>

> This is a one time confirmation, please click the

> link below and your email will be delivered

> straight away, now and in the future.

> Click to confirm:

> http://vetomail.com/ok/ et cetera...

Looks like Hugh Dibley doesn't want to receive e-mails from people like me who don't have web access... Why not just do what I do and practice safe e-mail. In other words make sure your e-mail address is never posted in a computer-readable format on the www. I haven't had spam sent to this address for several months now.

Owen

Thought for the day:

Lucky is he for whom the belle toils.

Owen H. Morgan, Yacht "Naomi J.", LD-928°07.85'N 15°25.66'W

Las Palmas, Gran Canaria

http://home.no.net/naomij

Phone and SMS:

In Spain: +34 620520079

In Norway: +47 92053097

*++++++++++&

Date: 2 Dec 2003 18:01:27 +0100

From: Giorgio

Subject: Subject: Palm and the like, no more trusty Psion 5MX, (Epoc Digest V1 # 390)

Dear Itmar,

I perfectly agree to ...allow the digest to move with the time and allow for other subjects to slowly "creep in".

By the way, I not only appreciate your technical knowledge but also your ...wisdom !

Ciao ! :-)

Giorgio Odazio

Rome, Italy

*************************

a nice vacation in Rome ? www.cassiahouse.com

*++++++++++&

Date: 2 Dec 2003 19:44:50 +0100

From: John Morris

Subject: Subject: Re: Revo Fax and Logfiles

>(Marcus): "You should create the folders C:\Logs\Etel and C:\Logs\Fax. Then, after a failure, look at the files in these directories, they should tell you, what has happend to your phone." >

>Thanks Marcus, I tried that & got the following in the C:\Logs\Etel folder:-

> " ----------New Log----------

>11.18:59:312500 Entered ETel Server thread

>11.19:15:296875 ETel: About to exit ETel thread function "

>There was nothing in the C:\Logs\Fax folder.

>Is this enough information for you or anyone to diagnose the problem & suggest a solution?

>(Marcus): "Sorry, but it's not. On my netBook (didn't try on the Revo) there is a bunch files in these directories, detailing the handshake between the phone and the PDA. Since you don't get any of these, you probably have a problem with the IrDa connection. Are you shure, that IrDa is enabled on your 6310i?"

Marcus, I can email & web-browse OK so I don't think the IrDa is a problem. Any other possibilities?

Thanks

John

John Morris

Cambs, UK

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Date: 2 Dec 2003 21:28:20 +0100

From: Itamar Engelsman

Subject: Psiwin freezing on backup, Full circle / combo, Mapopolis,

Answer to: Stephane Sage

Re.: Psiwin freezing on backup - Your original error message was "the file has been opened on the Psion". The backing up program should tell you in the message on the PC which file it is trying to back-up that is open on the Psion. Can you tell us which file it is ?

Answer to: Scott Lloyd

Re. Full circle / combo - Thanks, I agree with you <G>. I use my S7 now for over 1-1/2 years and had no problems whatsoever. Every now and than I have to press on the ""Ser7ies" sign when the touch screen starts to play up and it helps. I could take the same "insurance" as you and buy a netBook and keep the S7 as spare, but it is a lot of money.

Answer to : Rick Gillyon

Re. Mapopolis - Two further questions. 1/ Where did you buy the connecting cable and 2/ how do you secure your PDA in the car while driving ?

Best regards,

Itamar Engelsman

London, UK

*++++++++++&

Date: 2 Dec 2003 22:31:15 +0100

From: Owen H. Morgan

Subject: Re: Program list

Howdy!

I wrote (>>> ):

>>> The reason is that I sometimes receive e-mails

>>> where the text is in an attached document, and

>>> then REM won't quote the text.

Chris S Handley wrote (>> ):

>> That sounds like a strange limitation!

Rolf vonau replied (> ):

> REM quotes only text from the mail body.

> But if there is a real need for quoting separate

> texts, I will write a small separate OPL program

> for that. Owen, what is your opinion?

Chris S Handley's macro does this perfectly, so there isn't really any need. Maybe your sites should link to each other? In most cases I don't want to quote an attachment, but some of my friends use Internet Cafés and bring a diskette with their letter in RTF or M$ Word format and send that as an attachment rather than type the e-mail at the Internet Café or cut and paste the message to the body of the e-mail.

For those still in the dark, the reason REM does not quote the text in an attached document is that REM is launced while you are in the original e-mail you want to reply to. It then automagically creates a new e-mail, inserts a greeting "Howdy!" followed by "Whatshisname wrote (> ):", the quoted text from the body of the original e-mail, a thought for the day (if wanted) and the signature (if wanted). All the texts in REM are of course user configurable. REM will also reply to an individual message in an EPOC digest as well as other digest formats! That's what I did when replying to this one.

REM is very configurable and much more complicated than Chris' macro so it takes a bit of time to set it up the first time, but once its done, it works great without any user interaction at all apart from telling it which language to reply in the first time it encounters a new e-mail address if you are using the dual language option. (For those of us who communicate in a couple of different languages. This was my suggestion, as I write in Norwegian to my Scandinavian contacts and English to everyone else.)

Rolf also happens to be a great guy who gives very good support for his Freeware applications including implementing suggestions from the users (several of mine) sometimes within a few hours! He is also the author of the software that makes it possible to run this digest on EPOC machines. (Look Mom, no Micro$oft!)

PS. Our other Rolf - Brunsting who is able to participate in this digest thanks to Rolf Vonau's digest software doesn't like REM, but that's his problem!

Owen

Thought for the day:

Always yield to temptation, for it may not pass your way again.

Owen H. Morgan, Yacht "Naomi J.", LD-928°07.85'N 15°25.66'W

Las Palmas, Gran Canaria

http://home.no.net/naomij

Phone and SMS:

In Spain: +34 620520079

In Norway: +47 92053097

*++++++++++&

Date: 3 Dec 2003 10:51:48 +0100

From: Roy Maidment

Subject: Psions for Sale?

Hello All,

As a Psion user for five years (and a Digest lurker for two) I am making my fifth post with a heavy heart. I am considering a shift to a Tungsten T3, and if so, would like to offer the following for sale:

One Psion 5mx

One Psion 5 (with paint peeling I'm afraid)

Travel model

All serial and power cables, and cover

All original boxes, manuals and CD's

Issues 28 to 37 of Palmtop Magazine

Various printed PDF documents from the Psion CD

Would anyone be interested? If so, contact me

Unfortunately the pull of a newer, colour device is proving to be irresistible, although I'm sure that I'll miss the 5!

With best regards,

Roy M

*++++++++++&

Date: 3 Dec 2003 14:14:28 +0100

From: Rolf Brunsting

Subject: Re: New Psion app zExe

Dear Vlad,

<< I don't understand: compressed files open as fast as uncompressed or faster with no problems... can anyone try an explanation that's not all too technical? >>

It's quite simple, actually. Launch an additionally installed application and it's retrieved from storage memory into execution memory where the application will run. It doesn't matter for our Psions whether storage memory is internal (C drive) or external (D and E drive). As zExe compresses an application it will take less time to retrieve it from storage memory as the file(s) are smaller. However, the retrieval needs to be followed by a decompression in execution memory as the application wont run compressed.

You will therefore save time when:

Compressed Retrieval + Decompression < Uncompressed Retrieval

This is most likely the case when the application is stored on CF card (Series 5mx) or PC-Card (Series 7 / netBook) as these memory types are slower than internal memory.

Let's assume that the application is 100 kByte uncompressed and that it takes 3 seconds to retrieve it form CF card. When zExe compresses it to (say) 45% the application is now 45 kByte. It now takes 1.35 seconds to retrieve the zExe compressed application. Which leaves you 1.65 seconds for decompressing the file in the much faster internal memory. When you use a compression method that's tailored for fast decompression the 1.65 seconds will be more than enough to do the job.

This will certainly be the case when retrieval and decompression are performed in parallel. That is, the decompression is performed during the retrieval. Such a scheme allows launching a zExe compressed application stored in internal memory to be faster than launching the uncompressed application.

Kind Regards,

Rolf Brunsting - Darp - Netherlands

*++++++++++&

Date: 3 Dec 2003 14:14:40 +0100

From: Rolf Brunsting

Subject: Re: nB Pro OS 7

Dear Itamar,

<< I understand what you say. However, Psion have been notoriously bad in backward compatibillity. I still use a DOS program from the late 1980's which I got originally on to large floppy disks on my current PC with a Jewish calendar >>

You've picked an exceptional example, given all that has changed in the PC world. Your current PC is no longer fitted with a 5.25 inch diskette drive as standard equipment so that it can handle the floppy disk your application was originally distributed on. And had the application been a late 1980's Windows one, Windows 2.x, for example, you'd have thrown it away already. A current Windows XP PC no longer supports Windows 2.x applications. And your DOS application will be relatively simple and well behaved as the more powerful DOS applications used techniques Windows XP objects to.

<< Secondly, there is always a risk, yes, but as a consumer I think I should try and minimalise that risk according to the information available to me. That means amongst others to evaluate the trust in each Company, product and system >>

There's an awful lot of information available to you. Trouble is that a lot of it uses a technical language (similar to Martin Maxwell message on the netBook Pro Symbian) you'll find difficult to understand. You're using technology to good effect but aren't really a technology orientated person. It's therefore understandable that you look at the effects and say "Psion have been notoriously bad in backward compatibillity".

I wouldn't say that because I also look at other issues. It's not beneficial to discuss backwards compatibility without having a look at the features a product has to supply as well. It's not always possible to respond to a rising level of customer demands while remaining backwards compatible at the same time. One of the reasons why you can still run your DOS application is because PC microprocessors are still based on an x86 design. The Series 3 models also used an x86 based processor, the NEC V30. Psion didn't choose another x86 processor for the Series 5 because of their high power consumption. Psion chose a much more power consumption friendly ARM design. Result was that you couldn't run a Series 3 application on a Series 5. But the Series 5 was still powered by two AA size alkaline batteries, just as the Series 3 models had been.

You also have to look at the cost/benefit aspects of backwards compatibility. You won't get it for free as backwards compatibility has to be developed. Psion would have had to fit the Series 5 with Series 3 emulation in software. Which is a big and complex development job. The benefit of the emulator is that the purchaser of a Series 5 can still run his/her existing Series 3 applications. Now, what do these Series 3 applications represent, money wise. Fact is that Psion applications have always been rather inexpensive. Replacing a Series 3 application by a Series 5 one didn't cost the earth. I think most of us have spent more on Psion hardware than we ever spent on Psion software. Which adds a big question mark to the development of a Series 3 emulator. Given the disadvantages of an emulator, like a slow execution speed, the Series 3 emulator would have been a temporary stop gap. Developing a Series 3 emulator is too expensive for that.